the problem with one-size dipes is that NONE of them really fit newborns. even the very best one-size dipes only start to fit around 10 pounds, most really start to fit more aroun 12-15 pounds even though they all claim to fit from 7 or 8 pounds on.

to get a good fit and avoid leaks, sized diapers are better, that's all there is to it. financially, it seems like a pain, but you can do it by investing in flats (cheapest) or prefolds (still cheaper than pockets or AIOs) and sized covers.

flats really are one-size because you fold and fasten them to fit perfectly, then put a sized cover over the top. when your baby is older (20-25 pounds or so on up) you can just pad-fold them and lay them in the diaper cover.

prefolds are great because they're easier to fold. some brands just offer two sizes: infant (from birth to about 15 pounds) and standard (about 15 pounds on up), but a few brands offer additional sizes, which i really love IF you plan on fastening them. if you just plan on pad-folding and laying them in a sized cover, two sizes is just fine. i prefer GMD prefolds, and they have all the sizes (NB, small, med, large, toddler). you can usually find them used on here, and used is even better than new if they're in good condition, because they're more broken in and absorbant when you get them.

as far as sized covers go, i'm a really big fan of bummis super brites because i NEED gussets...i don't understand how people use diaper covers without gussets with runny little-baby pooop, and because i like the exposed PUL on the inside. that means you can just wipe it off if you get a little poop on the cover. if it's too bad, i wash it of course, but you can reuse them quite a few times between washes. also, my baby is quite thin and the bummis super brites accomodate that.

actually, i like pull-on wool covers best of all, but for newborns i think PUL is better because they poop SOOO frequently, and it's not HARD to wash wool, but it does take a while what with air-drying and relanolizing and everything. i like to have a cover that is easy and fast to wash because with a newborn, you're going to get poop on the covers all the time.

my favorite system is to have PUL covers (like bummis super brites) with fastened OR padfolded flats or prefolds in Newborn size then have one or two PUL covers in small, med, and large, and two or three pull-on wool covers in small, med, and large. choose whether to use wool or PUL based on time of day, what you're doing, etc. if your baby poops on a schedule, use the PUL covers when you think they're going to poop, to prolong the amount of time you can use your wool covers between washes.

__________________Co-sleeping, CDing, Babywearing, BFing, Non-circing, Vaxing, Stay at Home Mommy to one sweet little boy, and Wife to one wonderful husband

have to say, love this advice. this is what I would do. (also a GMD fan, to be more specific) we all have different diapering styles and I didn't expect to use prefolds at all. So I have more to sell off than I should have had in the first place. I wish I had done a rental from a CD store. Or a diaper service for the first month for prefolds if I wasn't sure I wanted to commit to them.

I know you didn't ask about prefolds in the first place, but I'd say that's more cost effective than pockets and I actually got my first prefolds from a twin mom --that was a lot of dipes I can tell you I was positive I wanted AIOs.

__________________
a happy mama with
thanks DH
Will almost always trade for yarn (vanilla. peppermint.)

Thanks so much for all the advice! I did order about 30 premie prefolds with a few bummis whisper wraps (4) and have inherited a descent starting stock of regular sized prefolds and sized covers. Sounds like Ill stick with those for the first bit and see how it goes.

I have already purchased a TON of brand new Osocozy Fitted diapers, debating if I should hold onto them or just return them now?
30 small
24 med
24 lg

I'd keep an eye out for actual NB small prefolds. Preemie prefolds weren't much better than a doubler in my experience. They are very tiny and thin.

If you can, find some GMD orange and periwinkle edged, those worked well snapii'd then trifolded later in a cover. We then went into Yellow edges with a snappi then yellows trifolded. That lasted to potty training.